Jets DB Darrelle Revis: 'No question' he will be back

Oct. 15, 2012
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Injured Jets defensive back Darrelle Reviss, who has two years remaining on a four-year, $46 million contract, says he doesn't mind that he'll have to prove he has returned to All-Pro form to get a long-term deal. / Rich Barnes, US Presswire

by Jim Corbett, USA TODAY Sports

by Jim Corbett, USA TODAY Sports

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Darrelle Revis said he is confident he once again will be the NFL's premier shutdown cornerback after Tuesday's surgery to repair his torn left anterior cruciate ligament.

"There's no question I will be back to where I was in the previous years of performing and doing what I do best,'' Revis said Monday at Jets camp in his first public statements since his injury.

"If everything goes right, and I do everything right with this procedure and process for the next four to six months, yeah. I'm a confident player. I never had an injury like this. This is all new for me.''

Since suffering the injury on Sept. 23, Revis said he has spoken to other players who have torn their ACLs, including running backs Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles, Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie and former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb.

"I'm getting a lot of help from all these people, and it's making me educated," he said.

Revis, who has two years remaining on a four-year, $46 million contract, wants a long-term deal from the Jets, and doesn't mind that he'll have to prove he has returned to All-Pro form to get it.

"People might look at this as a setback for my (contract) situation,'' he said. "Right now, I'm not even focused on that. Right now, the biggest thing is my knee.

"Things happen for a reason. I can't take that second back from the ACL tear. I just have to get back and get 100% and go from there. Once I'm 100% and I feel like that, there's no question that I will be back to who I was in the previous years.''

Revis is having the surgery -- which will be performed by Dr. Russell Warren, a New York Giants physician, at New York's Hospital for Special Surgery -- and rehabilitation filmed by the NFL Network for a documentary.

NFL Network chief correspondent for health and safety issues Andrea Kremer told USA TODAY Sports that Revis, 27, understands there will be emotional highs and lows during his comeback process, but he wants to show others what it takes to battle back from the setback. He's not out to do a "Hard Knocks'' takeoff, but a real-life, nuts-and-bolts medical chronicling of the intensive process, she said.

Revis said he knew his injury was serious the instant his knee shredded in a non-contact injury during the team's Week 3 victory over Miami.

"I grabbed my knee as soon as it happened and the way my knee just shifted, the feeling was it felt like somebody had a knife and just cut through my knee,'' Revis said. "It's crazy, because I've made that cut a million times. Even looking on replay, it didn't look like much.

"I guess it was meant to happen at that time. My cleat got caught in the grass. It happened."

He said he hopes to be jogging in 12 to 16 weeks.

"I'm a hard worker," he said. "I know I'm going to work my butt off to get back to where I need to be."